What Are the Main Features of British Conservatism - Essay Example

British Conservatism The idea of conservatism is viewed as one of the most significant aspects of contemporary political ideologies. Nevertheless, there are immense difficulties in establishing its substantive content. The term ‘conservative’ has Latin origin and it means to maintain or protect. However, its political and ideological significance can barely be identified owing to a number of reasons. To start with, there has been an inversion of historical values of liberalism and conservatism in the process of development. Therefore, most essential principles of classical liberalism are now viewed as conservative (Clarke, 1996:15). In chorus, the ideology of a well- established central governing authority that was proposed by early traditional conservatives became an important aspect of the liberal mind. Secondly, there exists an internal heterogeneity in the political philosophy of conservatism that entails a number of aspects but is summarized under one feature that is the stabilization and justification of strong social structures. Those that bear the ideology of conservatism are the social groups and classes that concentrate on preserving the customary social order or its establishment. There are two philosophical formations in the structure of conservatism. One focuses on the opposing political trends and forces while the other focuses on preservation of the social structure in its original form. In this situation conservatism is a political philosophy that justifies the present order and appeal to the lost (Clarke, 1996:18). Various directions of conservatism share common features. For instance, the existence of well- established social structures and institutions, recognition of global morals and religious beliefs, belief in the natural equality of men, the flawed human nature and the limited capabilities of the human mind. Many individuals consider British conservatism as a British national characteristic that is likened to everything English. Conservatism is characterized by the highest expression and perfection and it is basically a conventional political ideology in Britain. The English parliament is known to have come up with a number of political definitions such as the popular difference between right and left (Clarke, 1996:78). British conservatism understands that human nature is imperfect for political institutions and is implemented in the following important approaches. Firstly, the mentality of conservatism is the same as that of traditionalism. Secondly, preference of incremental is radical changes. Thirdly, conservatism can be characterized by a specific idea of man, state, history or society. Fourthly, conservative thinking is described as an ideology that is supported by the right- winged forces that demonstrate the need to safeguard the existing social structures and organization (Clarke, 1996:80). Lastly, conservatism is considered to be independent of economic and material interests as a philosophy that is made up of specific basic concepts of society, state and society. Conventional conservatism is linked with individuals including Louis de Bonald (1754-1840), J. de Maistre (1753-1821) and E. Burke (1729-1797). In the 20th century, the main forerunner of conservatism was R. Kirk who published a book titled “The Conservative Mind” in 1953. Homeland of conservatism was the political ideology that was a reaction to the ideology of Enlightenment in the French Revolution. Later in 1790, E. Burke published a book titled “Reflections on the Revolution in France". J. de Maistre and Louis de Bonald are considered to be the first classics of aristocratic conservatism (Coxall and Robins 2003:16). The political philosophy of British conservatism is made up of numerous categories that were proposed by the above-mentioned thinkers. Natural aristocracy is one of the most important concepts. Burke stated that natural aristocracy includes nobles, scholars, scientists, lawyers and wealthy businesspersons. He further stated that wealth that is based on policy and reason deserves to be given a privileged position in society to avoid a recurrence of the revolution. Traditionalism is one of the main features of British conservatism. It contrasts with the ideology of enlightenment as it is opposed to reason as it means subordination of a given action to the natural course of the way things are done (Coxall and Robins 2003:43). It is basically the foundation of change or reforms that should not go against the innate course of things. At the same time, two types of reforms are identified. These are preventive reforms that are focused towards the prevention of a revolution and reforms that aim at putting in place conventional rights and principles. The differences between change and reforms are also spelt out. Change modifies the fundamental nature of an object while reforms do not alter it in any way, however, it is a forced instrument that must be used. Louis de Bonald and Joseph de Maistre rejected the idea of a republic and reforms contrasting its customs and prestige (Coxall and Robins 2003:45). They saw a way to salvation by strengthening the political role played by religion. The foundation of political ideas proposed by de Maistre was the concept of equilibrium that was translated as the creation of balance in the spiritual and political life in a theoretic perspective. De Bonald came up with the idea of an association between the political and religious society without paying attention to religious or secular authorities (Coxall and Robins 2003:47). Generally speaking, the political philosophy of traditionalism is made up of the organic conception of society that has been present originally just like organic nature an does not come from a social evolution. R. Kirk developed principles of traditionalism in the 20th century and he wrote in the revolutionary regime where individuals were intrigued by novelty but later became so fond of it and demanded the old principles back. History is a cyclic process and at a given point in time, the conservative order will recur. Conservatives are focused towards ensuring existence of a broad national consensus that appeals to religion, authority, traditional views and prejudices. Social and economic issues are seldom transferred to the religious- ethical front. Therefore R. Kirk emphasized on the following basic principles of traditional conservatism. Ethics into religious principles, politics into ethics, the idea that the economy goes hand in hand with politics and the belief in the system of a higher level by human to adapt (Ramsden, 1998:78). The other basic feature of conservatism is the acceptance that individuals are foolish. When individuals act in a crowd, they are viewed as being stupid and take actions without thinking. On the other hand, the human race is wise when given enough time to think and tend to do the right thing. The experience of different generations is represented in the morals, traditions and customs of a specific group of people. Therefore, people must take care of their heritage instead of doing away with all outdated prejudices. It is unsafe to allow individuals to live and act basing on their own reasoning as their stock of mind is considered limited. Instead, they should opt for the universal bank of knowledge that has been put in place over the years. The older an institution is, the more respect it should be given as it has passed the test of time and developed through the accumulation of wisdom (Coxall and Robins 2003). The war of words between various parliamentary factions ensures preservation of the state network in Britain (Ramsden, 1998:45). Alliances between parties irrespective of their goals were considered to be an important aspect of a free state. The people gave the definition of a party as a group of individuals that are united by specific beliefs shared by all individuals for the principles of national interests. It is not only interparty confrontations that lead to the establishment of a state. Rivalry among the various arms of government also led to the establishment of a state as each branch worked to facilitate its influence, provide rights and privileges to the citizens and facilitate a dynamic equilibrium for the state (Evans and Norris, 1999:78) A balance of opposing forces is said to exist in the British political system. In spite of the fact that the highest state authorities in Britain are different, their disparities can be combined harmoniously. Conservatism acknowledges a divergence of interests in society by stating that income inequality is the major motivation behind work and it is impractical without civilization (Cunningham, 2001:17). The view also supports the idea that poverty can only be eliminated gradually through an increase in production. Conservatism argues that contradictions are a part of the social life and politics are used to attain the best combination of strengths and weaknesses. It also eliminates the probability of the existence of a political organization that is best suited for individuals across all ages. Various institutions across the states are as a result of the historical development of the customs and traditions within a given country. Furthermore, every age group has its own customs and policies established by them (Cunningham, 2001:19). Conservatism does not reject the possibility of reforming institutions. Life progresses and as thing change, old institutions may lose their value or even become an obstacle to the normal functioning of the public. In such instances, age does not justify existence of such institutions in their original form. In summary, conservatives state that transformation may be pragmatic or partial in nature. As earlier explained, reform is a change of the fundamental nature or the basic device of a subject. In other terms, the dominant principle of conservatism is also continuity. References Coxall, B. & Robins, L. (2003) Contemporary British politics, London, Palgrave Macmillan. Clarke, P. (1996) Hope and glory: Britain 1900-1990, London, Penguin. Cunningham, H. (2001) The challenge of democracy 1832-1918, London, Longman. Evans, G. & Norris, P. (1999) Critical elections: British parties and voters in long-term perspective, London, Sage. Ramsden, J. (1998) An appetite for power: a history of the conservative party since 1830, London, Harper Collins. Read More